Rotary water sprinklers

ABSTRACT

A rotary water sprinkler having a plurality of spray nozzles disposed at the ends of a plurality of conduit arms radiating from a common feed duct and being adapted to rotate about an axis passing through the feed duct under the influence of feed water flowing through the feed duct into the arms, the water sprinkler being provided with a pressure stabilizing device.

O Umted States Patent 1 3,653,597

Blass 1 Apr. 4, 1972 54] ROTARY WATER SPRINKLERS FOREIGN PATENTS 0RAPPLICATIONS [72] Inventor: Ischajahu Blass, 26 Rehov Manneh, Tel101,241 6/1937 Australia ..239/205 Aviv, Israel Primary Examiner-M.Henson Wood, Jr. [22] Flled' 1970 Assistant Examiner-Edwin D. Grant [2]]Appl. No.: 17,823 Attorney-Arthur B. Colvin ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl......239/204, 239/205, 239/D1G. l [51] Int. Cl ..B05b 15/10 A rotarywater sprmkler havmg a Pluramy of Spray nozzles 58 Field of Search..239/204 205 206 251 256 dispmd at ends a plurality arms dialing 3 5from a common feed duct and being adapted to rotate about an axispassing through the feed duct under the influence of {56] ReferencesCited feed water flowing through the feed duct into the arms, the watersprinkler being provided with a pressure stabilizing UNITED STATESPATENTS device- 11/1951 Holmes ..239/261 4 Claims, 4 Drawing FiguresPATENTEUA R 4 I912 3,653,597

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INVENTOR ATTORNEY ROTARY WATER SPRINKLERS This invention relates torotary water sprinklers of a kind wherein a plurality of spray nozzlesare respectively disposed at the ends of a plurality of conduit armswhich radiate from a common feed duct, said arms being adapted to rotateabout an axis passing through said feed duct under the influence of feedwater flowing through the feed duct into the arms.

When such a water sprinkler is in use, water emerging therefrom issprayed over a substantially circular area of land whose radius isdetermined primarily by the pressure of water fed to the sprinkler. Thusvariations in this water pressure lead to variations inthe area to besprayed by the particular sprinkler. Such variations can be particularlydisturbing when a network of sprinklers is employed, each constituentsprinkler of which is arranged to spray a specific area. If owing to anyof a diversity of reasons such as variations in ground level, etc., thepressure of water fed to the sprinklers varies from sprinkler tosprinkler then some sprinklers will spray a greater area than others,and in consequence some portions of the land to be sprayed will eitherbe over or undersprayed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pressurestabilizing device for use with a water sprinkler of the kind specifiedso as to ensure that the sprinkler is fed with water at a substantiallyconstant pressure.

According to the present invention there is provided a pressurestabilizing device for a water sprinkler of the kind wherein a pluralityof spray nozzles are respectively disposed at the ends of a plurality ofconduit arms which radiate from a common feed duct, said arms beingadapted to rotate about an axis passing through said feed duct under theinfluence of feed water flowing through the feed duct into the arms,comprising a conduit member which is axially slidable in a sleevemember, one of said members being adapted for connection to thesprinkler and to be rotatable therewith and with respect to the othermember, an inlet duct of the device being adapted to communicate withthe interior of the one member via one or more inlet channels, thedirection of flow pressure of the water into the one member being suchas to bias the one member into closing of the channels and biassingmeans acting on the other member in a direction opposite to the biasexerted by the water flow pressure so as to open the channels.

Thus, with such a pressure stabilizing-device the pressure of water flowand the biassing pressure act against each other and as a result anequilibrium is achieved which is expressed in the degree of opening ofthe inlet channels. Should the feed water pressure rise above a certainlevel the effect of the water flow will be to tend to close further thechannels, thereby reducing the pressure of water flowing out of thedevice to the sprinklers to the desired levels. Should, however, thefeed water pressure fall below the desired level, then the effect of thebiassing means will be to open the channels completely. Furthermore, byvirtue of the relative rotation of the two members, jamming of themembers due to accumulated dirt, etc., is substantially avoided.

Various embodiments in accordance with the invention will now bedescribed by way of example and with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIGS. 1 to 3 are respectively longitudinal sectional views of threediffering pressure stabilizing devices; and

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a combined pressurestabilizing device and water sprinkler in accordance with the invention.

As seen in FIG. 1 of the drawings a water sprinkler l which is onlyschematically shown, includes a pair of arms 2 and 3 which extendradially from a central duct 4, the arms being rotatable by means notshown about the longitudinal axis of the duct 4 under the influence ofthe water flowing therethrough.

Coupled to the water sprinkler l is a pressure stabilizing device 5which comprises a central conduit 6, the upper portion 7 of which is ofreduced diameter as compared to the lower portion 8. A plurality ofapertures 9 are formed in an intermediate position in the lower portion8. This lower portion 8 is surrounded by and is slidable in anexternally threaded sleeve 10, the lower end 11 of which is sealed. Aninlet duct 12 is formed in the sleeve 10 and is arranged to communicatewith the interior of the conduct 6 via the apertures 9. An internallythreaded cap 13 is screwed on to the sleeve 10 and surrounds the conduit6, the upper portion 7 of this conduit extending through an aperture 14formed in the upper surface of the cap 13. The end of the upper portion7 of the conduit 6 is externally screw threaded and is screwed into themouth of the duct 4 of the water sprinkler 1.

A compression spring 15 surrounds the upper portion 7 of the conduit 6and bears'at its upper end against the cap 13 and at its lower endagainst a disc 16 which rests on a shoulder 17 formed on the conduit 6.The disc 16 is provided with an externally directed key 18 which isadapted to ride axially in a key way 19 formed in the inside wall of thecap 13. The compression of the spring 15 is varied by screwing up ordown of the cap 13 which can be locked in the required position by alock nut 130.

In use water is fed from a main supply into the inlet 12 in thedirection of the arrows 20. This water flows into the interior of theconduit 6 via the aperture 9. During its flow the water acts on theconduit 6 in the direction of the arrows 21 and 22 thereby tending tobias the conduit 6 upwards and to displace the apertured portion of theconduit 6 away from the inlet duct 12 and thereby partially close theapertures 9. At the same time, however, the effect of the compressionspring 15 is to bias the conduit downwards to tend to open further theapertures 9.

Thus, in use, any rise in the pressure of the feed water above a desiredlevel tends to close further the apertures 9 thereby tending to maintainthe pressure of water flowing through the device substantially constant.However, a lowering of the pressure of the feed water below the desiredlevel results in the full opening of the apertures 9 under the influenceof the spring 15.

In FIG. 2 there is shown a further form of pressure stabilizing device30 coupled to a rotatable water sprinkler 31. The device comprises aconduit 32 having a tapped mouth 33 constituting a device inlet. Theconduit 32 is surrounded by a sleeve 34 which is axially rotatable withrespect to the conduit 32, the upper portion 35 of the sleeve 34 beingspaced from the conduit the interior of the upper portion 35communicating with the conduit via apertures 36 formed in the walls ofthe conduit 32. The sleeve is screwed to an annular weight 37 while theoutlet of the sleeve is coupled to the rotatable spinkler 30.

In use water flows into the conduit 32 and through the apertures 36 intothe sleeve 34 and thence to the sprinkler 31. The pressure of waterflowing through the sleeve 34 tends to move the sleeve 34 upwards withthe result that the walls of the sleeve tend to close the apertures 36.This tendency is resisted by the downwardly acting weight 37. As in theembodiment described above an equilibrium is achieved and as long as thesupply pressure of the water exceeds a predetermined minimum, theoutflow of water will always be at the predetermined pressure. Therelative rotation of the sleeve and conduit ensures that those parts donot become jammed due to accumulated dirt.

When devices such as have been described above are associated with anetwork of water sprinklers it can be ensured that each water sprinkleris operated under substantially constant conditions of water pressureand that in consequence the area of land surrounding these watersprinklers and sprayed thereby remains substantially constant. There isthus substantially avoided the disadvantageous over or under sprayingassociated with standard water sprinklers not provided with suchpressure stabilizers.

FIG. 3 shows a modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2. In thismodification a conduit 40 has a tapped mouth 41 constituting a deviceinlet. The conduit 40 is surrounded by a sleeve 42 which is axiallyrotatable with respect to the conduit 40 and which is spaced from theconduit 40. The upper end of the sleeve is secured by screwing to awater sprinkler 43 whilst the lower end of the sleeve is screwed to anexternally threaded flanged collar 44 which surrounds the lower part ofthe conduit 40. Communication between the interior of the conduit 40 andthe sleeve 42 is effected via apertures 45 formed in the conduit walls.A compression spring 46 surrounds the conduit 40 and bears at its upperend on a ring 47 bolted to the upper end of the conduit 40 and at itslower end on a ring 48 which is slidable with respect to the conduit 40but cannot rotate with respect thereto by virtue of the projection of alug 49 formed integrally with the ring 48 in a key way 50 formedlongitudinally in the conduit walls.

The device shown in FIG. 3 is designed in a similar fashion to thatdescribed with reference to FIG. 2, the spring 46 replacing the weightshown in FIG. 2 as the biassing means.

FIG. 4 shows a further modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2wherein the pressure stabilizing device is formed integrally with arotatable water sprinkler. The device comprises a conduit 51 having atapped mouth portion 51a constituting a device inlet. An intermediateportion 51b of the conduit 51 is surrounded by a sleeve 52 which isaxially rotatable with respect thereto. The lower edge 53 of the sleeve52 is inwardly flanged and projects into a peripheral recess 54 formedin the wall of conduit portion 51b so as to limit relative axialmovement of the conduit 51 and sleeve 52. The upper end of the conduitportion 51b merges with a narrow tubular end portion 51c provided at itsupper end with outlet apertures 55.

The sleeve 52 depends downwardly from and is formed integrally with thebase 56 of a cup shaped member 57 which is formed with an axiallyapertured boss 58 which projects upwardly from the base 56 and throughwhich passes the tubular end portion 51c. The cup member 57 is closed bymeans ofa screw or cap 59 while formed integrally with and extrudingradially from the cup member 57 are a pair of sprinkler arms 60, oneofwhich is shown fitted with a sprinkler nozzle 61.

The operation of the device is essentially similar to that of the deviceshown in FIG. 2. Thus the weight of the cup member 57, cap 59, arms 60and sleeve 52 tend to ensure that the outlets 55 are kept open whilstthe upwardly directed water pressure acts in the opposite direction andtends to lead to the closing of the outlets 55. In the present instance,however, in view of the fact that the water emerges from a very narrowtubular portion 516 the head of water is relatively small and thecorresponding weight of the cup member 57, etc., is correspondinglyreduced.

1 claim:

1. A pressure stabilizing device for a water sprinkler of the kindwherein a spray nozzle is disposed at the end of a conduit arm whichradiates from a common feed duct, said arm being adapted to rotate aboutan axis passing through said feed duct under the influence of feed waterflowing through the feed duct into the arm, comprising a conduit member,a sleeve member axially slidable on said conduit member, said sleevemember being adapted for connection to the sprinkler and to be rotatabletherewith and with respect to said conduit member, an inlet duct adaptedto communicate with the interior of the sleeve member via at least oneinlet channel, the direction of flow pressure of the water into thesleeve'member being such as to bias the sleeve member into closing ofthe channels and a spring acting on the sleeve in a direction oppositeto the bias exerted by the water flow pressure so as to open thechannel.

2. A pressure stabilizing device for a water sprinkler of the kindwherein a spray nozzle is disposed at the end of a conduit arm whichradiates from a common feed duct, said arm being adapted to rotate aboutan axis passing through said feed duct under the influence of feed waterflowing through the feed duct into the arm, comprising a conduit member,a sleeve member in which said conduit member is axially slidable, saidconduit member being adapted for connection to the sprinkler and to berotatable therewith and with respect to said sleeve member an inlet ductada ted to communicate with the inf said conduit mem er v1a at least oneinlet channel,

terror 0 the direction of flow pressure of the water into the conduitmember being such as to bias the conduit member into closing of thechannel, said conduit member having an abutment portion, a ring slidablymounted on said conduit member and keyed from rotation with respectthereto, a spring acting against said ring to urge the later againstsaid abutment portion to urge said conduit member in a directionopposite to the bias exerted by the water flow pressure so as to openthe channel.

3. A pressure stabilizing device for a water sprinkler of the kindwherein a spray nozzle is disposed at the end of a conduit arm whichradiates from a common feed duct, said arm being adapted to rotate aboutan axis passing through said feed duct under the influence of feed waterflowing through the feed duct into the arm, comprising a conduit member,a sleeve member axially slidable on said conduit member, said sleevemember being adapted for connection to the sprinkler and to be rotatabletherewith and with respect to said conduit member, an inlet duct adaptedto communicate with the interior of the sleeve member via at least oneinlet channel, the direction of flow pressure of the water into thesleeve member being such as to bias the sleeve member into closing ofchannels, and a weight associated with the sleeve member acting to movethe latter in a direction opposite to the bias exerted by the water flowpressure so as to open the channel.

4. A combined water sprinkler and pressure stabilizing device thereforcomprising an inlet conduit, a tubular end piece thereof in which areformed a plurality of outlets, a cup shaped distributing member, atleast one sprinkler arm radiating from said distributing member, a firstsleeve portion integral with said distributing member and slidable onsaid conduit, a second sleeve portion integral with said distributingmember and slidable on said end piece, the direction of flow of waterinto said distributing member being such as to bias said second sleeveportion into closing the outlets whilst the weight of said distributingmember and elements integral therewith being so directed as to displacethe second sleeve portion into opening the outlets.

1. A pressure stabilizing device for a water sprinkler of the kindwhErein a spray nozzle is disposed at the end of a conduit arm whichradiates from a common feed duct, said arm being adapted to rotate aboutan axis passing through said feed duct under the influence of feed waterflowing through the feed duct into the arm, comprising a conduit member,a sleeve member axially slidable on said conduit member, said sleevemember being adapted for connection to the sprinkler and to be rotatabletherewith and with respect to said conduit member, an inlet duct adaptedto communicate with the interior of the sleeve member via at least oneinlet channel, the direction of flow pressure of the water into thesleeve member being such as to bias the sleeve member into closing ofthe channels and a spring acting on the sleeve in a direction oppositeto the bias exerted by the water flow pressure so as to open thechannel.
 2. A pressure stabilizing device for a water sprinkler of thekind wherein a spray nozzle is disposed at the end of a conduit armwhich radiates from a common feed duct, said arm being adapted to rotateabout an axis passing through said feed duct under the influence of feedwater flowing through the feed duct into the arm, comprising a conduitmember, a sleeve member in which said conduit member is axiallyslidable, said conduit member being adapted for connection to thesprinkler and to be rotatable therewith and with respect to said sleevemember, an inlet duct adapted to communicate with the interior of saidconduit member via at least one inlet channel, the direction of flowpressure of the water into the conduit member being such as to bias theconduit member into closing of the channel, said conduit member havingan abutment portion, a ring slidably mounted on said conduit member andkeyed from rotation with respect thereto, a spring acting against saidring to urge the later against said abutment portion to urge saidconduit member in a direction opposite to the bias exerted by the waterflow pressure so as to open the channel.
 3. A pressure stabilizingdevice for a water sprinkler of the kind wherein a spray nozzle isdisposed at the end of a conduit arm which radiates from a common feedduct, said arm being adapted to rotate about an axis passing throughsaid feed duct under the influence of feed water flowing through thefeed duct into the arm, comprising a conduit member, a sleeve memberaxially slidable on said conduit member, said sleeve member beingadapted for connection to the sprinkler and to be rotatable therewithand with respect to said conduit member, an inlet duct adapted tocommunicate with the interior of the sleeve member via at least oneinlet channel, the direction of flow pressure of the water into thesleeve member being such as to bias the sleeve member into closing ofchannels, and a weight associated with the sleeve member acting to movethe latter in a direction opposite to the bias exerted by the water flowpressure so as to open the channel.
 4. A combined water sprinkler andpressure stabilizing device therefor comprising an inlet conduit, atubular end piece thereof in which are formed a plurality of outlets, acup shaped distributing member, at least one sprinkler arm radiatingfrom said distributing member, a first sleeve portion integral with saiddistributing member and slidable on said conduit, a second sleeveportion integral with said distributing member and slidable on said endpiece, the direction of flow of water into said distributing memberbeing such as to bias said second sleeve portion into closing theoutlets whilst the weight of said distributing member and elementsintegral therewith being so directed as to displace the second sleeveportion into opening the outlets.